For the Birds

I have been joyfully soaking in the advent of summer by listening to the birds sing. And, I love watching hummingbirds flutter nearby. Quite the perfect portrait of summer. If you wanted to catch the fever and welcome these delightful tiny creatures into your backyard, here are some beautiful hummingbird feeders for  you to consider.

The Parasol Garden Company makes some of the prettiest hummingbird feeders to be found anywhere. The company was started in 1997 when founders Alfredo García-Lucio and Jim McKeever could not find a birdfeeder to satisfy their sense of aesthetics. Thank goodness, because then Alfredo, a designer, created his own innovative and beautiful designs made of hand-blown and other recycled glass. Their newest designs incorporate ceramics and metal.

Parasol has been eco-responsible since its inception: their glass feeders are made with the highest possible content of recycled glass, 100% on most colors and a little less than that on the red and milk glass. All feeders and handmade in Mexico by artisans. All glass is lead and cadmium free.

All you need to do is to put a little nectar in these feeders to attract some of the 16 hummingbird species now flitting about in North America (there is only one hummingbird species in the colder Northern regions and all 16 live in the much warmer SouthWest). BestNest.com is an online retailer that features many Parasol designs. They also have a very cool Handy Hummingbird FAQ page to answer all your questions. Take a look at this page to find more online retailers and a search guide to find the closest retailer to you.

What a beautiful way to brighten up a garden and bring life to it. Literally.